Teenager Veer Ganapathy and Sachin Baisoya shot 5-under 67s to share the lead after the first round of the AM Green IGPL Invitational in Mauritius. Baisoya's Phoenix Hyderabad leads the team competition, with RVR Delhi in second place.
Ganapathy, Baisoya Share First-Round Lead
Teen sensation Veer Ganapathy, who turned 18 just over two weeks ago on March 25, nailed two birdies in the last three holes to card 5-under 67 and rise to the very top of the leaderboard in the first round of the AM Green IGPL Invitational 2026 Mauritius hosted by Leander Paes.
Just as the day neared the finish, Sachin Baisoya, who was consistent throughout the season in 2025 with multiple Top-3 finishes but no wins, made his intent clear as he produced a brilliant finish after a rather sedate start. He closed with three birdies in a bogey-free round of 67 to join Ganapathy in a shared lead. Sachin also helped his team, Phoenix Hyderabad, go ahead in the team competition, according to a press release from IGPL.
Lying in tied third place were Amandeep Drall (69), Milind Soni (69) and Ridhima Dilawari (69). Amandeep Drall, a former runner-up at the Hero Women's Indian Open on the Ladies European Tour, and Ridhima are trying to emulate Pranavi Urs, who last year became the first woman to win an AM Green IGPL event. Pranavi won the Mumbai event last year.
Olympian Udayan Mane and experienced Shiv Kapur were tied sixth with rounds of 2-under 70 each, while Aryan Roopa Anand, Varun Chopra, rookie Sukhman Singh and Yashas Chandra were tied eighth with cards of 71 each.
Among the notable names, the 2025 AM Green IGPL Order of Merit topper Pukhraj Singh Gill (72) was T-12, while Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of the AM Green IGPL Invitational 2026 Chandigarh 2026, Karandeep Kochhar, SSP Chawrasia and Aman Raj with 1-over 71 each were T-15.
Phoenix Hyderabad on Top in Team Standings
In team standings, Phoenix Hyderabad, spearheaded by co-leader Sachin Baisoya (5-under 67) and Raghav Chugh (even par 72) were leading at 5-under, while RVR Delhi, with Shiv Kapur (2-under 70) and Aryan Roopa Anand (1-under 71) were second at 3-under. Green Fuels Vizag, with Milind Soni (3-under 69) and M Dharma (1-over 73) were third at 2-under total. The two best scores from each of the four member teams count towards the competition.
Veer Ganapathy's Stellar Performance
Veer, who was adjudged the 'Young Turk' - the best emerging player - in the inaugural season last year, got off to a great start at the par-72 Anahita Golf Course with seven birdies against one early double bogey. Veer is on the GolfKonnekt Team from his hometown, Bangalore.
Late in the evening, Baisoya caught up with a grandstand finish that saw him birdie three in a row on 16-17-18. The players were unanimous in their praise for the lovely course, which has in the past hosted European Tour events, but also added that the course was tough, with winds adding to the challenge.
Player's Perspective on Challenging Course
Veer, a southpaw who is coached by his father Rahul Ganapathy, said, "The course is great but challenging with winds at 15-20 km per hour. But after that early pressure when I hit an OB and dropped a double bogey, I played very well, and my putting was the key today."
Coached by his father, Rahul Ganapathy, a former Indian Tour pro, Veer finished runner-up on two separate occasions in the 2025 AM Green IGPL season. He was runner-up at AM Green IGPL Kolkata and AM Green IGPL Dubai and is now well-placed to grab his first win. "I have worked hard in the off-season with physical fitness and yoga being the focus, and a lot of work at the range. It seemed to be paying off today."
Veer atoned for his double bogey with three birdies in a row from the fourth and added one more on the ninth to make a turn in 2-under. On the back nine, he birdied the 14th and then had back-to-back gains on the 16th and the 17th. His lone blemish of the day was a double on the Par-4 sixth, which was the toughest on the course.
Focus on Milind Soni
Milind, 20, who was picked by the Green Fuels team Vizag at the auction, said the first season on the AM Green IGPL last year was a great learning experience. He also decided to start training with Rahul Bajaj, a former Asian Games team silver medallist, late last year.
Soni Credits New Coach for Improvement
He said, "Rahul sir has helped me immensely. I am making fewer errors, and he has got my swing back in good shape. He has also been working on the mental aspect, and that has begun to show, and we are also working on course management." Talking about his first round, Milind added, "It was absolutely amazing, and I enjoyed the Anahita course. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be playing on the AM Green IGPL tour. It has tournaments in some really great venues."
Drall, Soni, and Dilawari's Strong Rounds
Amandeep bogeyed the fifth but made no more errors as she picked a birdie on the seventh and turned in even par. On the back nine, she landed an eagle on the Par-5 13th and closed with a birdie on the Par-5 18th for a 3-under total.
Milind Soni opened with a bogey but birdied the sixth and the seventh. However, bogeys on the eighth and the ninth wiped out those gains, and he turned in 1-over. On the back nine, he was steady and picked an eagle on the Par-5 13th and a birdie on the 14th.
Late in the evening, Dilawari (69) closed birdie-birdie in a round that had four birdies against one solitary bogey to join the group in third place.
The tournament is the second in the AM Green IGPL season 2, which will have 15 events, ten of which will be in India and five outside India. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)